Department ofBotany

Biological Conservation Newsletter

No. 111July 1992

Editor: Jane Villa-Lobos

ASIAN FORESTRY NETWORK

The Agriculture Division in the Asia Technical Department
(ASTAG) of the World Bank is establishing a forestry network that
would support technical improvements and identify new solutions
for the benefit of client countries. New policies, adopted in
1992, commit the World Bank to giving greater emphasis to
effective management and to forest conservation, both through its
own work and through international co-operation.

The forests in Asia are dwindling at an alarming rate. One-
third of the region is covered with forest. But it is estimated
that at current rates, half the original 725 million hectares
will be gone by the turn of the century. Forests are destroyed
primarily for farming, firewood, fodder and commercial logging.
Population and income growth are also contributing factors.
Research in forestry management has been insignificant compared
to that in agriculture. However, with the increased emphasis on
non-wood products, the environmental value of forests needs to be
addressed and policies developed.

The Bank's East and South Asia regions have developed a
forest sector strategy that would support the design of better
targeted projects and the more effective use of technologies,
expertise and funds to increase productivity of forest resources
within a general framework of forest conservation. A paper
identifying major issues and constraints in the sector, and
proposed improved practices in technological advancement to
support the growth of regional forestry, has been published. For
more information on the forestry network and the strategy, write:
Mr. R. Grimshaw, F-3059, Attn: Forestry Network, ASTAG, Asia
Technical Department, The World Bank, 1818 H Street, N.W.,
Washington, DC 20433.
NEW BIORESOURCES CENTER

The University of California, Berkeley, Forest Products
Laboratory has announced the creation of a Bioresources Research
Center to address regional and global bioresource issues. Within
the College of Natural Resources, the new Center will coordinate
research programs and sponsor educational events on forest
bioresources issues. With the support of a National Cancer
Institute grant and in-kind contributions from the Forest
Products Laboratory, the new Center will co-sponsor an
international conference on bioresources for research on cancer.
The conference will address ways of conserving yew populations to
ensure sustainable development of taxol, an experimental anti-
cancer agent in short supply. For more information, contact Mr.
Stanley Scher, (510) 231-9456.

NEW PUBLICATIONS

The American Forestry Association's Forest Policy Center has
released a report on the management implications of using the
bark of the Pacific yew to produce taxol, a chemical shown to be
highly effective against ovarian cancer. The yew story is an
example of the value of managing forest ecosystems to protect
biodiversity even if an animal or plant species has no current
commercial value. For a copy of the report, send $5 to Forest
Policy Center, American Forestry Association, P. O. Box 2000,
Washington, DC 20013.

Excerpts from a forum marking the occasion of the
inauguration of the Colorado State University Chapter of
Conservation Biology, is presented in a 40-minute video,
Conservation Biology and Natural Resources Management: Seeking
Common Ground and New Directions . Dr. Thomas Lovejoy and Dr.
Stanley Temple address topics such as the origin and recent
history of conservation biology, the relationship of conservation
biology with traditional natural resources disciplines, and the
role of students and professionals as advocates. The video will
be valuable to undergraduate classes, organizations, agencies,
and universities interested in forming chapters of conservation
biology, and with diverse groups concerned with the maintenance
of biological diversity. Copies are available for $10. Please
send check, made payable to Colorado State University, to: Dr.
Richard Knight, Dept. of Fishery & Wildlife Biology, Colorado
State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523.

FUTURE MEETINGS

August 9-13. The Ecological Society of America's Annual
Meeting will be held in conjunction with the American Institute
of Biological Sciences in Honolulu, Hawaii. The theme of this
year's meeting will be "Voyagers" with discussions centering on
the effects of bringing alien cultures and organisms into contact
with one another. In addition to papers addressing island
ecology, a broad range of ecological research will be presented,
such as livestock grazing in the West, land resource management,
climate change, ecology and conservation in Hawaii, and
restoration ecology. For further information, contact The
Ecological Society of America, 2010 Massachusetts Ave., N.W.,
Suite 420, Washington, DC; Tel: (202) 833-8773; Fax (202) 833-
9775.

September 23-24. The National Cancer Institute is sponsoring
the Second Workshop on Taxol and Taxus , to be held in
Bethesda, Maryland. For more information contact: Matthew
Suffness, (301) 496-8783; Gordon Cragg, (301) 846-5357; Saul
Schepartz, (301) 496-8720.

Rebelo, A. and Siegfried, W. 1992. Where should nature
reserves be located in the Cape Floristic Region, South Africa?
Models for the spatial configuration of a reserve network aimed
at maximizing the protection of floral diversity. Cons.
Biology 6(2): 243-252.